Chapter 110


    Six: Joselin


    Joselin''s P.O.V.


    "I don''t really think we have any time to waste." Rona insisted as I red at her. I wasn''t ashamed to be


    the first one to admit that I had woken up in a terrible mood. I reyed the situation with Tobias a


    thousand times before finally falling asleep. "I''m sure the others would like to go home soon."


    I knew the situation''s urgency, but this did not qualify as an emergency. If anything, Rona''s reaction to


    having to wait only made me more suspicious of her. "From your careful choice of words, I take it that


    you would prefer to stay in the castle, so I don''t see what your hurry is. Other things need to be done


    before we can fill the two empty council seats."


    Talia''s betrayal and Agatha''s death had hit me harder than expected, and I was angry that two of the


    women who had trained and raised me were now gone. They were both dead and now I had to pick


    two witches to rece them.


    ''We will start bringing in pledges for consideration over the next few weeks, but I want any personal


    drama to be put aside right now." My re moved from Rona to Cora, and she adjusted in her seat as


    she pursed her lips. Ever since Rona had caused Cora to lose her leg in battle a few years ago, the


    women were at each other''s throats.


    I couldn''t forget Margot and Aisha. Those two women couldn''t be trusted to be left alone either, not


    after an incident where Aisha trapped Margot in a room with a rock troll as a practical joke. Margot got


    out with a concussion, a few broken bones, and the desire to dangle Aisha over the cliffside of one of


    the most inhabited siren coves along the coast.


    She hung there for two days before someone found her and pulled her in.


    I hated all of them except Agatha, but she was gone. Now I was left with four other women, and I didn''t


    trust a single one of them. Nor would I trust any of the pledges they would bring in.


    "For now, the meeting is adjourned." I stood and made my way to the door, hearing their grumbling


    behind me as I went. Today was not the day for them to test me, and it seemed everyone except Rona


    got that memo as she trailed after me on my heels.


    Rona had always pushed my buttons, the evil bitch. Her mother used to bring her here to ''y'' with me


    when we were kids while the council met. Her idea of fun was trying to bury me alive or burning the


    hallway outside of my room to see how long it would take me to escape. Not too long ago, she killed


    her mother, stealing her power and taking her seat on the council. Rona had never been tried for it, and


    it had never been proven.


    Still, we all knew what had happened.


    As far as we knew, Agatha had no blood rtives left with magic. After betraying the crown, Talia''s kin


    would never be trusted, leaving two seats empty.


    ''What is with the dy?” Rona sneered. "Too scared to do your job?"


    The dining hall fell silent as I stepped inside, Rona''s voice echoing across the high ceilings. "Not at all,


    but I am not going deal with filling three council seats instead of two.''


    "Unless you are resigning, there are not three seats open." The hopeful undertone of her words made


    me grit my teeth, but seeing Tobias sitting at the table eating, looking as unbothered as ever, caused


    my temper to re up into a rage. He seemed so calm and collected when I had been up all night


    reliving the most humiliating and heartbreaking moments of my life.


    "I will not be resigning, Rona. But if you do not leave me alone, I promise that there will be another seat


    open because I will rip your throat out." I spun around to face her, cocking an eyebrow as she stopped


    a hair''s breadth away from mming into me.


    "You''re threatening me, and in front of all these people? That''s not very professional of you." She


    chided.


    "I am not known for being professional, Rona. I am known for being efficient and deadly to threats


    against our people. They know I will fight every threat against them, no matter the cost." The rest of my


    threat was cut short by the feeling of the hairs rising on the back of my neck and the familiar heat of a


    body stopping inches away from my back, distracting me.


    I could feel him even though I couldn''t hear him, and I hadn''t turned to see him.


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    "All I am saying is that if we put this off for a few weeks, it might end badly. The sooner we can get


    those seats filled, the better." Rona''s gaze was locked over my shoulder on Tobias, and I began seeing


    red. I didn''t like her looking at him like that, and I loathed that he felt the need toe to protect me as


    if he hadn''t ripped my heart outst night.


    "I will say this once and only once. That is not your call. As the King''s Royal Advisor, I lead the council,


    and it is my decision to make. The meeting has been concluded, and right now, you are doing nothing


    but wasting our time. Select your pledge and be prepared to present them at the next meeting. Beyond


    that, our conversation is over." I held her re as the silent room watched on in amusement.


    When she finally broke and stomped away, I felt victorious until I bumped into Tobias when I turned to


    make my way to the table. My shoulder bounced off his chest, and I stumbled a step back, my eyes


    locked on his hand on my arm when he tried to catch me.


    All I could think about was what his touch felt likest night, how incredible it was to have his naked


    body up against mine. But he wasn''t mine and wouldn''t be.


    ''Please unhand me," I said through gritted teeth. Tobias looked back and forth between my eyes, and I


    knew he wanted to say something, but he wouldn''t. I was happy we had people around, so he wouldn''t


    talk to me. I wasn''t capable of having a rational conversation with him right now. Not when everything


    that happenedst night was still so fresh.


    He wanted me because he was attracted to me but didn''t want to act on it. Attraction and infatuation


    were two different things. He didn''t want me, just my body. He was just too good of a man to act on it.


    I hated that it made me respect him more.


    All of the other men that I had tried to be with wanted a quick fuck. They wanted to return to their


    friends and say they had bagged the witch. They wouldn''t even acknowledge me or look at me after.


    They just got up and left after they got what they wanted.


    It was a lesson I took an embarrassing amount of time to learn. Most people avoided me, making it


    difficult to converse with anyone, so I could get to know them and build an emotional connection. After


    years of this, I decided to just grab what I wanted and hoped they would enjoy me enough to want to


    stay once we were done.


    They never did.


    But watching everyone around me find their soulmates, that unconditional love, made me want it too. I


    would never stop looking for it, but I was growing tired.


    I was tired of strangers wanting nothing more than a quick fuck and never giving me the time of day


    again after. I was tired of people rushing to get away from me when I came near. I was tired of getting


    my heart broken by a man who didn''t even realize he was doing it.


    I needed a break.


    But it was something I could not afford, not with an unknown threat looming over us and a red-headed


    vulture in the castle waiting for me to make a mistake so she could steal my job and possibly my magic.


    I could feel his eyes on me as I made my te before returning to my seat at the table. Killian and


    Natalie were already eating, and the queen sent me an amused smile as I ced my te on the table.


    ''Seems like you could use a good sparring session. Do you want to meet after lunch? It''s been a while


    since we got to train together." Natalie asked, and I knew it was a good idea. Still, her indirectly pointing


    out my bad mood made me return my re to Tobias, the source.


    His brown eyes burned through me, and I held his gaze as he ignored his half-eaten te of food.


    "That sounds great. It''s been a while since we got to train together. Just the two of us." It was an


    indirect snub at Tobias, which I was positive would be ignored. He had been released from being on


    her immediate detail unless she left the castle, but he still hovered around her.


    Now that he knew there was another threat we needed to deal with, even if he didn''t tell anyone, I knew


    he would be watching the queen closely.


    From the corner of my eye, I could see Natalie ncing back and forth between Tobias and me with an


    amused smile. But the longer I held his stare, the angrier I became.


    It was petty and stupid, something I hadn''t done since I was a kid. The prior council members and the


    previous King and Queen yelled at me plenty of times about my immature antics and pranks growing


    up.


    Yet, as a cockroach climbed out of his food, the childish attack made me feel happier.


    Killian coughed once, mming his fist against his chest as heughed from two seats down. Even the


    corner of Tobias''s lips twitched as the disgusting insect stumbled from the ceramic dish onto the table.


    I couldn''t pull my eyes away from him if I wanted to. His heated gaze was filled with amusement as he


    lifted hisrge hand and mmed his fist down on top of the bug.


    My jaw dropped open as Tobias picked up his fork and scooped up a bite of his food. He sent a wink


    my way as he shoved it in his mouth in a silent deration of ''Game On.''